Umpire Article

Stump the Umpire Q & A
By Little League

Batter ducks, ball strikes bat
Q. While the batter is moving away from a high, inside pitch, the ball accidentally hits the bat. The result is an easy tap down the first base line.

The first baseman fields the ball and tags the bag. The batter, who makes no attempt to reach first base, argues that he/she is not out because he/she didn't actually swing at the ball. Does the batter have a legitimate argument?

A. No. Even though the pitcher might have hit the batter had the batter not moved out of the way, the unintentional hit is a legally-batted ball and the batter is out.